Dothan Progress

Organizers could not have asked for a better day or a better turn out Saturday morning for the inaugural Poplar Head Farmers Market. The vendors, selling the best in fresh fruit and vegetables, saw a steady stream of traffic all morning. In fact, many of the vendors had to bring in extra baskets of their produce to meet the demand.

Tim James prefers to let his actions speak for him. The 18-year-old senior was a star on Ashford High School’s varsity basketball team this past season. His stature as a person, however, overshadows his athletic and academic accomplishments.

Agriculture, art and education will join forces this summer as the Wiregrass community welcomes the opening of the Poplar Head Farmers Market. The Downtown Group, the Wiregrass Museum of Art, the Houston-Love Memorial Library and Wiregrass farmers and artisans will join forces every Saturday morning in June and July to present a unique shopping and educational opportunity for area residents.

Do you have a desire to eat as well as serve fresh fruits and vegetables? At the same time, would you like to help the local economy? Toss in some fun-filled activities, demonstrations and entertainment, and you have the ingredients for a fun-filled Saturday morning. Actually, you have the necessary ingredients for the Poplar Head Farmers Market, a new event sponsored by The Downtown Group that will be held every Saturday in June and July (including the Fourth).

Spread the news. Peanut butter is good for you. That is the message the Alabama Peanut Producers Association hopes to send to the public through its recent donation of three pallets laden with jars of peanut butter to the Wiregrass Area United Way Food Bank.

No smoke stacks puff out big clouds of smoke. No time clocks line the walls for employees to use. But make no mistake about it - tourism is big business for Alabama, for the Wiregrass, for Dothan.

Children have a wonderful way of learning from each other. Some call it peer pressure. Some call it friends sharing with friends. Through the iFit Program, the administration and staff of Cloverdale Elementary School hope to use peer-to-peer instruction to help students learn good habits that will contribute to a healthier lifestyle.

They are too young to really know anything about World War II - except for what they study in their history classes or hear from some of their older family members. That lack of firsthand knowledge, however, did not keep the students of Ashford Elementary School from doing something to honor what has been termed “America’s Greatest Generation.”

One son recently returned from deployment in Iraq. Less than a week after his return to the United States, his identical twin brother deployed to Afghanistan. For their mother, Linda Ferguson, of Malvern, this Mother’s Day will be one of concern tempered with love and the belief that her 24-year-old sons - Blake and Brandon Pickerel - will be safe.

Give the people something to do, and they will come. While not put in those words, organizers of the Fourth Annual Mural City Art Fest believe it will happen. If previous events are any indication, they will come in large numbers.

Nothing galvanizes most communities more than their education systems. Coming to their aid in difficult times occurs almost like second nature.

Downtown Dothan will come alive with music, art, food and fun for the entire family during the fourth annual Mural City Art Fest (formerly known as the Festival of Murals). The event kicks off April 25 and will run through May 2.

Horses, cowboys, trick roping, shooting demonstrations, wagon and pony rides and plenty of Western movies. What more could a youngster or those that are young at heart ask for in a day’s activities? On Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., the Old West will come alive in the Wiregrass as Landmark Park, located on U.S. 431 North in Dothan, hosts the 2009 Johnny Mack Brown Western Festival presented by YellaWood® Pressure Treated Pine.

Deli Day will return. And it promises to be bigger and better. The Temple Emanu-El Brotherhood is bringing back what was once a long-standing tradition in Dothan - Deli Day. This year’s event, which will feature a New York-style kosher corned beef on rye sandwich, will be held Thursday, April 30, in Temple Emanu-El’s Social Hall from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

“It’s the gift that keeps on giving.” That is how Robert Crowder, executive director of the Southern Alabama Regional Council on Aging and chair of this year’s Spirit of Service Day, describes the event he helped launch 20 years ago, when he served as chairman of the Houston County Commission. This year’s Spirit of Service Day will be held throughout Houston County on Saturday, April 18.

The Dothan Service League is providing the opportunity for young women in the Wiregrass area to dress like a queen for prom night or any other special “dress-up” occasion through its inaugural Boutique Sale April 3-4. The event will be held in the Fellowship Hall of Covenant United Methodist Church, 3610 W. Main St. in Dothan.

The farm skills of an era gone by were on display during Landmark Park’s annual Spring Farm Day. Visitors were allowed the peel back the curtain of time to witness how a farm family lived in the 1850s.

She was groomed for the role she will play Sunday. Jennifer Farish, 17, the 2009 Azalea-Dogwood Festival queen, has been around Dothan’s annual salute to spring and its floral extravaganza her entire life. It’s only fitting that the granddaughter of Edna Lane, a former president of the Federation of Garden Clubs, should reign over an event that Mrs. Lane helped direct for many years.

For many senior citizens, staying active after the age of 60 can be a challenge. For others, it is a daily routine to get up, exercise, visit with their neighbors and still enjoy being employed. Betty Rowland, of Headland, is a prime example of someone staying active and enjoying life after the age of 60.

What was life like on a Wiregrass farm in the late 1800s? How did families get their food? What did the children do for fun? Was it a difficult way of life? The answers to these and many other questions will be provided Saturday, when Landmark Park hosts its annual Spring Farm Day.

One less thing to worry about. Safety. Peace of mind. Ease of use. These are just a few of the benefits Kellie Folger sees in using the Medicine-on-Time program offered by Doctors Center Pharmacy.

Ann Cotton, executive director of The Cultural Arts Center, looks over her program schedule and shakes her head. She has a full load of programs geared toward exposing elementary-age children to the arts. She says those programs will continue, although the center has lost nearly $10,000 in funding that helped make these programs possible.

The Headland Police Department has received new equipment to update its computer systems and other technological devices inside the department and the patrol cars.

Farmers across the southeast are preparing for the planting stage of their next crops. However, many farmers are wondering what can they plant to make a profit.

Surrounded by family, friends, supporters and well-wishers, Dothan businessman Mike Schmitz answered a question that has been making its rounds through Dothan’s political circles for several months. Yes, he will be a candidate for the office of mayor of Dothan.

Just because you don’t see it. Just because you don’t hear about it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Those are some of the familiar words used in a public service announcement airing for the Southeast Alabama Child Advocacy Center. It’s message is simple. Sexual and severe physical abuse of children happens on an all-too-regular basis in the Wiregrass.

Fran Weaver-Holden does not believe in sitting on the sideline. When it comes to helping her neighbors, she wants to be involved.

It has grown tremendously in just one year. Wiregrass United Way 2-1-1 celebrated its first birthday February 11, and it did so in conjunction with the National Information and Referral Service Agencies Day.

Caregivers of all skill levels will have the opportunity to glean helpful information during the 20th annual Alzheimer’s Conference, sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Resource Center and the Wallace Community College Continuing Education Department.

While most young men his age are thinking of college careers or future employment, Michael Schmitz, 18, has his heart set on another type of work - helping orphans in foreign lands.